NEWS WEAKLY – EPISODE 154

“Consistency of Hypocrisy” – 19 April, 2025

TOP OPINION OF THE WEEK:

Guantanamo never closed, the rules-based order never applied, and now the cruelty once exported is finally coming home.

Also:

• Australians detained and deported from the US despite valid visas
• Transgender travellers profiled and imprisoned in Villawood
• Peter Dutton wants to cancel your citizenship
• And Trump’s latest plan? Outsourcing US citizens to El Salvadoran prisons!

From offshore detention to ICE raids, from CIA coups to the maskless face of empire, this week we look at what happens when systems built for them start turning on us—and why moral consistency, not just outrage, is what really matters.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

“If you only care when it’s you, that’s not morality. That’s narcissism with an accent.”

Support the Show:

Listen ro News Weakly ad-free by joining Sami on Patreon: patreon.com/samishah

Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.

For more: http://thesamishah.com

Theme music: “Historic Anticipation” by Paul Mottram

This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.

Get bonus content on Patreon

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every week, Sami Shah (ABC, The Gadfly)—comedian, journalist, and award-winning writer of words—pick the news up off the floor, holds it up to the light, stares at it closely, inspects it carefully, then decides the 3-second rule still applies and pop it into his mouth.

TOP STORIES OF THE WEEK

TRUMP’S ART OF THE NEW TARIFF!

DEBATE CLUBBED!

DEATH ZONE DIPLOMACY!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Wall Street shat itself. But I invest in 90s comics, so I’m recession-proof and emotionally bankrupt.”— Sami Shah on the Trump tariff fallout

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Love News Weakly? Keep it funded by joining the Patreon:

👉 patreon.com/samishah

Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.

For more: http://thesamishah.com

Theme music ‘Historic Anticipation’ by Paul Mottram

This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.

Get bonus content on Patreon

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every week, Sami Shah (ABC, The Gadfly)—comedian, journalist, and award-winning writer of words—put the ew in news.

TOP STORIES OF THE WEEK

Riffing Tariffs!

Monsters in Mandalay!

Le Love and Le Law is Blind!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Fairness is for nerds and this school runs on vibes and vengeance.”

— On Trump’s lunchroom approach to global trade policy.

💸 SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join the Patreon at patreon.com/samishah

Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.

For more: http://thesamishah.com

Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram

This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.

Get bonus content on Patreon

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every week, Sami Shah (ABC, The Gadfly)—comedian, journalist, and award-winning writer of words—cuts the breaks on the news cycle and watches it pedal into traffic.

TOP STORIES OF THE WEEK

Budget Bribes Australians for Cheap!

Salmon Fishing in The Tassie!

Pro-Palestine Protests Rock Gaza—Against Hamas!

Meta’s Literary Heist!

Support the Show!

• Ad-free episodes & discounts ➡️ Patreon.com/SamiShah

Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram

This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.

Get bonus content on Patreon

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

🎉 NEWS WEAKLY 150 – 22nd March 2025 🎉

It’s the big 150th episode of News Weakly—and we’re celebrating with the usual mix of headlines, satire, and one possibly horny space capsule.

🧨 Top Stories of the Week

Dutton’s Referendumb!

The Ceasefire That Couldn’t Cease Fire

SpaceX or Space Sex?

🧠 Quote of the Week

“Dutton isn’t trying to be America’s Trump. Trump is America’s Dutton.”

💥 Support the Show!

Join the Patreon at patreon.com/samishah for bonus content and the warm feeling of morally superior support.

🎟️ Also: The 150th episode was recorded LIVE at Comedy Republic in Melbourne! If you were there, you’re part of history. If not, you’re part of regret.

Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.

For more: http://thesamishah.com

🎵 Theme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul Mottram

This podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.

Get bonus content on Patreon

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every week, Sami Shah (ABC, The Gadfly)—comedian, journalist, and award-winning writer of words—breaks down the biggest stories with just enough sarcasm to keep us from screaming into the void.

🎟 Live Show Alert! Tickets for the News Weakly 150th episode live show are on sale now! March 21st, 6:30pm, at Comedy Republic, Melbourne. Get them at ComedyRepublic.com.au, or join Patreon for a discount: Patreon.com/SamiShah.

🗞 This Week on News Weakly:

• An editorial rant about free speech, comic book legal defence, Neil Gaiman, and the right to blasphemy.

🎧 Support the Show!

• Ad-free episodes & discounts ➡️ Patreon.com/SamiShah
• 🎟 Live show tickets ➡️ ComedyRepublic.com.au

Thanks for listening! See you next week!

Get bonus content on Patreon

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every week, Sami Shah (ABC, The Gadfly)—comedian, journalist, and award-winning writer of words—breaks down the biggest stories with just enough sarcasm to keep us from screaming into the void.

🎟 Live Show Alert! Tickets for the News Weakly 150th episode live show are on sale now! March 21st, 6:30pm, at Comedy Republic, Melbourne. Get them at ComedyRepublic.com.au, or join Patreon for a discount: Patreon.com/SamiShah.

🗞 This Week on News Weakly:

• Terror Plot or Marlboro Smuggling Ruse? – The Sydney "terror" caravan was actually a bikie gang ploy, but Peter Dutton won’t let that stop him from stoking paranoia.
• Victoria’s Bail Laws: Tough, Then Soft, Then Tough Again! – Because why fix the justice system when you can just keep reacting to headlines?
• Trump’s Tariffs Hit Australia! – Albanese had a lot to say about a viral wombat video but not much about the US making our steel and aluminium exports 25% more expensive.
• Syria: The War After the War – The new government promised peace, but instead, they’re carrying out sectarian massacres. So… progress?
• Justice for Some, Not for All – Duterte gets arrested for war crimes, but Netanyahu remains untouchable. Because international law is just vibes now.

🎧 Support the Show!

• Ad-free episodes & discounts ➡️ Patreon.com/SamiShah
• 🎟 Live show tickets ➡️ ComedyRepublic.com.au

Thanks for listening! See you next week!

Get bonus content on Patreon

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every week, Sami Shah (ABC, The Gadfly)—comedian, journalist, and award-winning writer of words—breaks down the biggest stories with just enough sarcasm to keep us from screaming into the void.

🎟 Live Show Alert! Tickets for the News Weakly 150th episode live show are on sale now! March 21st, 6:30pm, at Comedy Republic, Melbourne. Get them at ComedyRepublic.com.au, or join Patreon for a discount: Patreon.com/SamiShah.

This Week:

🔹 Australia’s new anti-terrorism strategy: Hope that Barry is on your flight!

🔹 Israel-Hamas peace talks continue! Just kidding!

🔹 Trump is America’s Hydra Cap, and Ukraine is realizing they’re in a Marvel villain origin story.

Quote of the Week:

"You don’t think, you act." – Barry, Legend of Avalon Airport.

🎧 Support the Show!

Join Patreon.com/SamiShah for the ad-free version!

🎟 Live show tickets: ComedyRepublic.com.au

Thanks for listening! See you next week!

Get bonus content on Patreon

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every week, Sami Shah (ABC, The Gadfly)—comedian, journalist, and award-winning writer of words—breaks down the biggest stories with just enough sarcasm to keep us from screaming into the void.

🎟 Live Show Alert! Tickets for the News Weakly 150th episode live show are on sale now! March 21st, 6:30pm, at Comedy Republic, Melbourne. Get them at ComedyRepublic.com.au, or join Patreon for a discount: Patreon.com/SamiShah.

This Week:

Australia finally lets Qatar Airways expand its flights—but only after blocking them for a year, proving once again that our government moves at the speed of a dial-up modem.

Peter Dutton somehow managed to play the stock market like a pro during the 2008 crash. Inside trading? Luck? Just another case of a politician accidentally getting richer while the rest of us suffered?

Meanwhile, Donald Trump shares an AI-generated fever dream of Gaza as a luxury resort, featuring yachts, bearded belly dancers, and Netanyahu sipping cocktails. Is this dystopia or just another day in the Trump multiverse?

Quote of the Week:

"I haven’t seen logic this inconsistent since the last time the Federal Government did anything."

🎧 Support the Show!

Support News Weakly! Join at Patreon.com/SamiShah.

🎟 Live show tickets: ComedyRepublic.com.au

Thanks for listening! See you next week!

Get bonus content on Patreon

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every week, Sami Shah (ABC, The Gadfly)—comedian, journalist, and award-winning writer of words—breaks down the biggest stories with just enough sarcasm to keep us from screaming into the void.

🎟 Tickets for the 150th episode live show are on sale now! March 21st, 6:30pm, at Comedy Republic in Melbourne.

Get them at comedyrepublic.com.au, or join Patreon for a discount: patreon.com/samishah.

This Week:

• Jewish and Muslim communities are fighting over whose discrimination is worse, instead of uniting against the actual racists. Who wins?
• Trump called Zelensky a "dictator" and blamed him for Russia invading Ukraine. Meanwhile, Putin’s celebrating and Europe’s losing its mind. But Trump’s too busy demanding Ukraine’s rare minerals to care.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Trump will blame Pearl Harbor for antagonising the Japanese pilots by floating there so provocatively."

🎧 SUPPORT THE SHOW!

Help keep News Weakly ad-free and independent! Sign up at Patreon.com/SamiShah.

🎟 Live show tickets: ComedyRepublic.com.au

Thanks for listening! See you next week!

Get bonus content on Patreon

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.